Source: American Community Survey

Education contributes to higher incomes. Many of the highest-paying jobs are open only to people with college degrees, so there is a clear relationship between levels of education and income. This is evident in the chart.

For the Central Indiana region, workers with a high school diploma earned about $27,225 a year in 2005. The chart shows the higher levels for better educated workers. Those with some college made $6,377 more than workers with only a high school diploma. Holders of bachelor’s degrees earned $19,375 more. And people with graduate degrees earned $32,861 more than people with only a diploma.

At the other extreme, people without a high school diploma earned $9,233 less than a high school graduate, or only $17,992 a year.

  
 
   
     
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